Ceremonies at Durham Cathedral will welcome new deacons and reverends to diocese

The group on the left are deacons and on the right are priests. At the back are the Bishop of Beverley (Glynn Webster), Bishop of Durham (Paul Butler), Bishop of Jarrow (Mark Bryant) and Director of Diocesan Ordinands (Richard Collins) Pictures by Keith Blundy.

Fiona Thompson

People from all walks of life and ages will be among those to be ordained as priests and deacons this weekend.

The celebration will take place at Durham Cathedral, with each of the 25 from across the region being called to the ministry after amassing a wealth of experiences in a wide range of places and jobs.

Ian Somasundram

Tomorrow will see priests ordained and Sunday will welcome new deacons to the Church of England Durham Diocese.

Among them will be The Reverend Rebecca Louise Tobin, who will continue to serve at the Boldons area in South Tyneside, and Ian Somasundram, 33, who will be based at St John Church in Hebburn.

The Rev Tobin, 39, was born in the south and became a northerner aged 12 when her family moved from Essex to South Shields.

She said: “I had a growing sense of vocation, which I could no longer ignore. “Although life was not bad, it was somehow unsatisfactory, something was missing. “I was not yet who I was meant to be.

I had a growing sense of vocation, which I could no longer ignore.

Rebecca Tobin

“The call to return to church after several missing years came first, and with it an increased sense of being a member of the body of Christ.

“Which then became a persistent, awkward, little voice in my head on a Sunday morning saying ‘ I should be up there’.”

Mt Somasundram grew up in Northallerton.

He went to study chemical engineering at Manchester then went to Cambridge to study for a PhD in chemical engineering, and worked as a lay assistant minister of a church in Cambridge.

Rebecca Tobin

He said: “To test if God was calling me to full-time ministry I worked for a church in a lay capacity, working alongside young adults in the church and taking responsibility for the evangelistic ministry.

“It seemed to confirm that God was calling me to ordained ministry and so here we are.”

Ian is married to Helen and has two sons.

The ceremonies at the cathedral will be led by Bishop of Durham, The Right Reverend Paul Butler.